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Hospitals will face new rankings under the ACA next year and South Florida hospitals struggled in a preview of those rankings based on this year's numbers. NBC 6's Steve Litz has the details. (Published Friday, June 27, 2014)

Starting next year, as part of the Affordable Care Act, hospitals reporting a set level of preventable infections and complications will face penalties. It’s a way to try to cut down on the complications and readmissions that can drive up hospital costs.

The hospitals across South Florida were rated this year by Kaiser Health News on the same 10-point scale that will be used next year and based on the ratings; many local hospitals need a check-up.

The higher the score in the rankings, the worse the hospital performed. Kendal Regional Medical Center (8.3), Jackson Memorial Hospital (7.4), and Broward Health Medical Center (7.7) all scored poorly in the rankings.

The worst performing hospital in South Florida was Broward Health Coral Springs, which scored 8.975 and was third worst in the entire state based on the data. Broward Health released a statement addressing the facility’s rankings.

“Significant improvements have been made by sharing the best practices of our top performing hospital, Broward Health North,” the statement said. “As an organization, we constantly strive to surpass Medicare standards.”

On the flip side, Larkin Community Hospital, Homestead Hospital, and Weston’s Cleveland Clinic all performed well in the rankings. Larkin Community Hospital executive Sandy Sosa-Guerrero said trying to keep a facility clean and safe for patients is not easy.

“You need to clean. You need to wash your hands. You need to maintain good antibiotic control,” Sosa-Guerrero told NBC 6. “So it is a large amount of things, but it is standard care for hospitals.”

Sosa-Guerrero said the new scoring system isn’t just to help hospitals improve their care and facilities, but also a much-needed tool for patients.

“The public does not know what to measure,” Sosa-Guerrero said. “They have no idea what to look at and compare one hospital to the next. So at least this is a start.”